Frankfurt meets Sri Lanka: A dialogue on vibrant IT ecosystems

Sri Lanka’s Consul in Frankfurt am Main General Madurika Joseph Weninger, Director Export Services of Sri Lanka Export Development Board Indumini Kodikara participating in a Webinar titled “Frankfurt meets Sri Lanka on Vibrant IT Ecosystems.”

Source:Dailynews

The Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Frankfurt am Main organised a Webinar titled “Frankfurt meets Sri Lanka on Vibrant IT Ecosystems” in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Export Development Board, the FrankfurtRheinMain GmbH and Mainstage Hub.

The Webinar attended by nearly 50 participants focused on discussions of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main (FRM) region’s start-up ecosystem informing Sri Lankan entrepreneurs about opportunities to explore in FRM and expand their presence in Europe. The conversation primarily aided in the sharing of ideas and propositions that elevated Sri Lankan start-ups and the advantages that these start-ups would bring to Frankfurt RheinMain.

Director Export Services of EDB Indumini Kodikara warmly welcomed the distinguished speakers and the participants from Frankfurt and Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan start-up ecosystem has multiplied over the last decade, with projections predicting a 50% increase in innovations this year.

In her introductory remarks, Consul General Madurika Joseph Weninger gave an overview of the two nations’ connections and emphasised that the IT industry was the most resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Sri Lanka’s ICT exports have climbed from US$850 million in 2015 to US$1.2 billion in 2020, accounting for 9.3% of the country’s overall export revenues,’’ she stated.

She further said that the “ICT and BPO sector has grown substantially in the previous ten years employing over 120,000 experts,” and that it has become Sri Lanka’s first largest foreign exchange earner. “The Consulate General initiated this webinar to connect the Sri Lankan talent pool with German business owners,” she added. In this regard, the Consul General proposed inviting a German delegation to visit Sri Lanka and discuss methods to strengthen our involvement and cooperation in IT and BPO services.

Director of FrankfurtRheinMain GmbH and Mainstage Hub Dr. Kasturi Dadhe in her presentation said, “The exposure to International Markets, especially the Greater Frankfurt Region with its vibrant international IT and Fintech landscape will boost the Sri Lankan businesses and increase their visibility not only in Germany but in Europe too”.

With yearly sales of 41 billion euros ICT is the most significant technology sector in the Federal State of Hessen with approximately 11,000 ICT businesses employing 126,000 people. Frankfurt is a worldwide digital hub with excellent connectivity and is one of the world’s leading operators of Internet Exchanges.

The CEO & Founder of Mainstage Hub Swen Wegner expressed that he was proud to be associated with this initiative and said, “We have worked with a lot of Sri Lankan start-ups before their strength is their technical knowledge and this platform can assist these well-vetted start-ups in truly scaling and growing.’’

Urban and Senzmate are two Sri Lankan firms that have been working very closely with Frankfurt RheinMain. In addition Firms such as EC Holdings, Arimac Lanka, Maxol Pro, Cabbage Apps, Potenza Pvt. Ltd. and others from Sri Lanka actively contributed to the dialogue.

The webinar was moderated by Assistant Director of the Export Development Board Vajira Kulararthna who also delivered the vote of thanks. She concluded that the EDB is looking forward to facilitating a physical session with Mainstage Team and the Sri Lankan Start-ups, including SMEs in Sri Lanka.

This initiative marks the start of a new chapter in Sri Lanka’s engagement with the Frankfurt Rhein-Main (FRM) region and is the first step in a long-term relationship that will involve many more similar dialogues to encourage Sri Lankan start-ups to explore and expand their solutions in the FRM region. It will serve as a springboard for learning about the newest IT trends in Sri Lanka’s burgeoning global start-up ecosystems.